The use of live bacteria and other microorganisms has been successfully incorporated into a wide variety of applications, including, for example, waste remediation, enhanced oil recovery, agricultural control agents, pesticides, and mining. In most such applications, a high density of live microorganisms is desirable to maximize effectiveness and to minimize the amount of material to be transported and/or deployed for treatment. Stabilization, preservation, storage and transportation of live bacteria to a use site can kill a high percentage of the bacteria, and may also introduce foreign, undesirable microorganisms into the final product, which may significantly limit the effectiveness of the microbiological product.